If you're going away for 50 years, how much authority do you still have. Sure you will still have the title of Boss, but that's all it is a title.
If the Boss has many loyal Capos, he could run the family, but it never really works out.
A person who is stuck in the supermax in Illinois or wherever it is is largely limited in the visitors that they can have. Be had to run the family from there via courier. Besides the fact they probably closely monitor visitor conversations with an inmate.
